'Don’t take any money with you, nor a traveler’s bag, nor an extra pair of sandals. And don’t stop to greet anyone on the road.' Luke 10:4 When Jesus commissioned His disciples to go out, they had to travel light and be very focused on their mission. I was thinking that last sentence in the verse above wouldn't fair well with me, as like at Costco, I enjoy running into friends and talking story with them. But is God telling us not to greet people? It’s not that we shouldn’t be social in any way. On the contrary, we are to build deeper relationships with other believers, develop roots, and do His work in our community. Verses 7-11 tells us they stayed in one place, healed the sick and shared the Good News, as long as they were welcomed.
Almost every day, I go running. And when I run, I take my iWatch, a key, and a mask. My goal is to run for 30 minutes and because of the pandemic, I avoid people on my journey. When someone approaches me, I either venture onto the road, or I put on my mask and run by them. Honestly, I don’t enjoy solo jogging so I’m always looking forward to completing the task. And I believe that is how God wants us to have our hearts focused on – like we have a destination to get to, a mission to accomplish, and a commission to complete. And it is not void of relationship. It has to do with building intentional connections with people so they can see experience God’s love through us.
In Acts 2:46, the disciples were meeting together daily in the temple courts and breaking bread in each other’s homes. Well, the pandemic has severely limited us from doing so. And although this virus is serious enough to keep us alienated, we cannot afford to ignore His Word or be complacent. Maybe we have to ask ourselves the following, “Has our love grown cold for others?” “What have we done lately to build community and fulfill His commission?”
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